The presence of periodontal diseases in a significant portion of the population has indicated a need for methods and devices to prevent the formation of bacterial plaque colonies in the periodontal areas. It is well established that plaque bacteria are the primary cause of periodontal diseases. Various devices have been made available to professional dentists and periodontists to periodically remove tartar or calculus (largely calcified plaque deposits) from the teeth at regular intervals. In addition to passive instruments for scraping this calcified material from the roots of the teeth, devices employing sonic energy at high levels to remove calculus are also available. These devices typically employ high energy levels at ultrasonic frequencies to impart substantial energy to the hardened plaque (calculus) to disrupt it. Thus, these devices serve to destroy calcified plaque colonies after they have formed rigid structures.
These devices are unsuitable for daily home use due to the high energy levels which are transferred to the teeth. In the hands of a non-professional, such devices can cause severe damage to the teeth and surrounding soft tissues. While applying high-energy levels to the teeth and subgingival areas at relatively extended intervals between applications destroys existing rigid calcified structures, it does not prevent the formation of these calcified structures. It is known that bacterial plaque, over time, undergoes a multilayer building process, involving the sequential addition of more and more different species of organisms to the plaque mass. It is the later stages of plaque development, and the later species of bacteria, that are believed to be the most important in the etiology of periodontal diseases. Certain gram-negative bacteria and spirochetes are believed likely to be of greatest importance. Thus, the presently available devices are not suitable for daily home use and do not disrupt the multilayer building process in the formation stage to prevent periodontal diseases.
Furthermore, these devices cannot prevent periodontal disease even if used on a regular basis. This is because the energy levels associated with these devices would be disruptive to the tooth and gum structure if so used in an attempt to destroy plaque colonies before they mature to the complex later stages and before the process of calcification has occurred.